A Love Like No Other

It Started In The Forest

Two Years Later

Iris sits in her makeshift hut. Broken cloth hanging from pieces of wood to keep the ground and blankets for sleep clean and dry. Children laughing, adults moving throughout the camp. All ignoring the strange child who randomly showed up one day and won't say anything about who or what she is.

"Iris," Ulle said outside her hut.

She poked out her head. Her obsidian black hair tightly packed into a bun, annoyed at how long it took her to put it up. She shouldn't have to learn how to do something as simple as putting up your hair alone. A mother should teach her child the ins and outs of life, the simple and the complex.

Ulle stands with one hand on his hip. His gaze darted between the other huts and back to her.

"I need you to go fetch water from the lake," he states. When Iris doesn't move, he lets out a sigh. "Someone was injured and we need the water to clean the blood."

Iris nods her head. Heading towards the one tent that was used only for the higher Grisha, she grabs the small bucket. She never liked to leave her small hut. Not because she is scared that people might steal her things, they could take whatever they want. None of the materials belong to her. No, she doesn't like to leave because it means more people have to see her. More people that know she exists and the other kids have an easier time finding her.

The kids who think she is a normal otkazat'sya trying to run from something. They have one thing right. She is trying to run from something. Run from who she is and what she is.

Iris places the bucket into the water, waiting for it to fill up before pulling it out. It was a lot easier for her to carry without the water, but doing things she doesn't want to do has become second nature. In order to keep a spot with the camp, you must listen to Ulle, follow all the rules even if they aren't applied to the other kids.

"Hello, Iris," Lev calls from the treeline. She ignores the boy. Not the time to get distracted by a boy trying to waste time. "Not going to say hello?"

"I have to get this back," she whispers, holding the bucket up to show Lev.

"I'm sure they wouldn't miss you. No one ever does."

Iris ignores his antics. Lev is always trying to get her to use her power. Trying to see if she is a otkazat'sya or if she is hiding some great power.

Lev blocks her way. She takes a deep breath to calm her annoyed nerves. Just get the bucket to the Healer tent, she thought. She sidestepped but Lev blocked the path once again.

"Hello," she snaps. "I said hello, can I leave now?"

"What are you?"

"You're back on this? I told you I don't know. Grisha don't always show their powers this early."

"I think you're lying."

"Believe what you want, Lev. Can I please just get this bucket to the Healer tent?"

Lev lets her leave. A strange look in his eyes that makes Iris feel weird.
Iris sets the bucket down in the Healer tent. A Grisha woman sits on the table with dried blood on her head and knots her brown hair. The Healer shoos Iris out before she could get any more information on what happened. Needing to know if there were immediate threats was important. Needing to know if she has time to leave a place before something bad happens is the only thing keeping her alive. If people knew what she Summoned who knows how they would act.

Iris lays down on her blankets. The sun was going down and people were calling their children in for sleep or food. 

Food. A luxury that she doesn't get too often. Yes the camp has rations they hand out for families, but she is always the last one to get any. Not a priority for the food and doesn't have someone else to feed. Saving and hiding her food has become second nature almost. Only eat when you need the nutrients or when you can't deal with hunger.

"Is it going to rain tonight?" a little boy from the area next to Iris asks.

"It shouldn't," a woman's voice answers. "There aren't clouds in the sky."

"Clouds mean rain?"

"Eat your food before the bugs get to it."

Maybe rain wouldn't be a bad thing. Fresh water for drinking and cleaning. Except sleeping outside with cloth that have holes won't protect her as much as the others. Here's hoping for a clear night.